Warning: This article contains major SPOILERS for Apple TV+’s Invasion.
Summary
- Invasion season 2 fails to fix the unlikable character problem from season 1, making the central characters even more problematic as the show progresses.
- The lack of growth and plot progression in the characters’ arcs, particularly Aneesha’s and Trevante’s, makes them seem trite and one-dimensional.
- The inconsistent character beats and slow plot progression are detracting from the show’s potential, making audiences root for the central aliens instead.
Invasion season 2 is repeating season 1’s biggest character mistake, which is gradually ruining the show. Instead of treading the same path as most alien invasion narratives in television shows and movies, Invasion season 1 wrapped the identity of its central aliens in mystery and intrigue by not revealing their motives. It did not even feature an all-out War of the Worlds-eque showdown between alien and human forces. Instead, it used the titular invasion as a narrative device to tell human stories of four distinct individuals who navigate grief, trauma, complex familial relationships, and survival in the face of uncertainty.
While Invasion‘s innovative approach towards an oversaturated genre initially presented a strong hook and seemed reminiscent of other sci-fi epics like Annihilation, it gradually stopped making sense because it took no effort to draw meaningful connections between many of its plot points. Even towards its ending, Invasion season 1 introduced new mysteries instead of answering old ones, leaving audiences in the dark. However, despite these flaws in its plot progression, its biggest criticism was not its pace but how it made its human characters seem unlikeable.
Invasion Season 2 Didn’t Fix The Unlikable Character Problem From Season 1
Invasion season 2 was supposed to change the narrative direction of the series by portraying the central characters in a different light and providing some solid answers to the central invasion’s mysteries. Unfortunately, the second installment of the Apple TV+ series fixes neither. Instead, with each progressing episode, as many reviews suggest, the show is making its character problem worse, especially when it comes Trevante and Aneesha’s storyline.
In the first season, Aneesha’s arc primarily focused on her complicated relationship with her cheating husband, and in season 2’s initial episodes, it has graduated to her conflicts with her son. The lack of growth and plot progressions in her characterization make her and her kids seem trite and one-dimensional. Invasion could have used her alien claw as a narrative device to move her story in a new direction, but that aspect of her arc still remains a big mystery. Trevante’s side of the story, too, has had several inconsistencies and inexplicable synchronicities in Invasion season 2 that have forcefully moved his narrative forward.
How Invasion’s Characters Hurt The Show’s Potential
Despite starting as a show about relatable human stories in the backdrop of a gruesome alien invasion, Invasion is now making audiences root for the central aliens. The Apple TV+ series showed immense potential in its opening episodes by introducing a cerebral mix of drama and science fiction. Even the show’s eerie atmosphere and ambitious explorations of the “unknowable” initially showed promise, making it intriguing enough to draw viewers in. However, its inconsistent and clichéd character beats and snail’s pace plot progressions are weighing it down, detracting it further away from what it could have potentially been. Hopefully, Invasion season 2’s latter episodes will make up for its initial character pitfalls.